http://www.demos.co.uk/projects/changingbritishcommunities/ en-us Copyright 2008 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:26:03 UT Latest items from Changing British Communities on http://www.demos.co.uk/ - the thinktank for everyday democracy Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:26:03 UT http://www.demos.co.uk/items/12116 http://www.demos.co.uk/items/12116 happiness. Media coverage of "happiness", or lack of it, has exponentially grown in recent months with an daily array of articles on the topic. With the exception of some, most articles may be categorized into:

• those correlating happiness to "x" amount of monetary wealth (usually surprising readers by the humble amount "x" is);
  

• and those comparing levels of happiness between countries (usually not surprising readers who do not find the UK as number one).

Why are readers confounded in the first instance and quite indifferent in the second? If twenty-first century Britain has thrived economically, notwithstanding the recent squeeze, why are people less happy?  Why are citizens surprised that £13,400 a year should fuel happiness, and hunting for bonuses will not?  Has the social fabric of this country been so bruised that citizens feel isolated and lonely?  Or, is the population actually more satisfied and content than the media suggests?

Demos is currently undertaking research to answer these precise questions.  By conducting case studies around the UK, we hope to unearth these fundamental themes.]]> Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:56:21 UT silvia.guglielmi@demos.co.uk ( Silvia Guglielmi )